


Embrace

by crystalfox



Series: Equilibrium [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-20 19:04:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13724073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalfox/pseuds/crystalfox
Summary: Han finally has a moment alone with Luke on Endor.





	Embrace

**Author's Note:**

> Set immediately following the end of ROTJ.

“Does it hurt?” Han leaned against the doorway, hesitating, wanting to enter but not sure if Luke would prefer to be alone.

“What?” Luke turned his head, shifting slightly on the wooden bench, he frowned slightly, a small half-smile on his face. 

Han had been waiting for this, a moment where it was just the two of them. All evening during the celebration, he’d tried to talk to Luke but there were always people interrupting, wanting to congratulate them, to share in their joy at the Empire’s defeat. Which was great, Han was happy, if not amazed, that they had pulled it off. Most of the Rebellion had come out of it unscathed, Leia and Lando were in love, the galaxy was free, and it seemed everyone could now take a breath and relax. And the first thing Han wanted to do now that the shadow of the Empire had gone was to catch up with Luke. Lately, he’d not been able to stop thinking about him. 

It had taken a while to find him as he’d headed away from the main celebration into one of the small, sparsely furnished houses. Han had observed Luke for a few moments, wondering if it was the right time to speak to him. Luke had told him, Leia and Lando what had happened with Vader at the end, and Han guessed that he might want to deal with all of that on his own. Nevertheless, he felt a desperate need to know Luke was alright. He knew Leia and Lando were, they had each other now and it was clear that they were a good fit. But Luke was a different story.

Han hovered at the doorway for a second before slowly strolling across the room and sitting next to Luke.

“Your hand? Lando told me what happened back at Cloud City.” He’d been horrified when he’d heard, feeling sick at the fact that Luke had been hurt so badly. 

“Oh. Yeah. That. I’ve sort of gotten used to it. Sometimes I even forget about it completely.” Luke smiled sadly at him, shrugging slightly. 

Luke could be so....positive. Han didn’t think he’d be able to get used to losing a hand, especially if said hand had been cut off by his own father. He’d be angry, raging, upset, and maybe Luke was too but if he was, he was hiding it well.

“Really?” Han couldn’t help asking, his brow furrowed as he looked down at Luke’s gloved hand.

“I mean, obviously, I’d rather I didn’t lose it but the new one works well. It’s a big adjustment but I’ll cope.” Luke looked away, his shoulders tensed. Han realised that perhaps Luke wasn’t as positive about this as he wanted to make out. However, he was unsure what to say, this sort of emotional support had never been his strong point but he needed Luke to know he cared.

Han nudged Luke's knee with his own, getting Luke to focus on him, and said gently, “You will.” 

Luke held his gaze and nodded. “Thanks.” 

Han felt a shift in the mood, there was strange tension between them, perhaps it was just the fact that they hadn’t been alone together in so long and maybe they were just exhausted from all the action. Nevertheless, for the first time, Han felt nervous around Luke and he couldn’t pinpoint _why._ They were good friends but Han had never felt this need to be so close to a friend before, hadn’t felt so worried about someone. And when Luke looked at him, like he was looking at him now, there was an intensity there that made Han lose focus.

At least, that’s what Han told himself was the reason he blurted out, “Can I see?”

“Yeah.” Luke reached towards his wrist intending to open the black glove but Han stopped him, taking his hand.

Slowly, Han unclipped the fastening and pulled the glove off Luke’s hand, absentmindedly placing the glove in his lap. Turning the hand back and forth steadily, he marvelled at the detail and the warmth. 

“I wouldn’t have been able to tell. Amazing what they can do these days.” He murmured as he gently held Luke’s hand, and without thinking he stroked the smooth skin softly with his thumb. “Feels so real.” 

It’s not until he glanced at Luke that he understood the _intimacy_  of the moment, that he truly registered the fact that they were sitting alone so close together in a dimly lit room holding hands. Suddenly, it was clear that the strange tension was attraction and it was like everything in Han’s world altered. It wasn’t like feeling attracted to a good looking person was unusual for him but this particular attraction was mixed in with friendship. This was something that was new and unpredictable to him, he’d never felt this for someone he actually cared about before.

Letting go of Luke’s hand, he decided he needed time to think, to come to terms with what these feelings meant. His hand felt empty without Luke’s.

“Can I have my glove back?” Luke asked, a small, sly smile on his face as he stared at Han’s crotch. Or rather, what was sitting on Han’s crotch.

“Huh?” Han felt the blood rush to his face and he looked down, “Oh! Right, here.” Embarrassed that the glove had been resting on his lap, he handed it back, watching Luke pull the glove on quickly. 

 _Kriff_ , he thought to himself, _I need to get out of here._ The image of the black glove on his lap and the memory of the feeling of Luke’s hand in his own was running through his mind making his heart beat faster. Could Luke tell? He hoped not. 

He stood up swiftly, muttering, “I should go, let you get some rest.” Although he guessed he wouldn’t be getting much rest himself tonight.

Luke looked disappointed, at least, Han _wanted_ to think that was how he looked, it could have been that he was just tired. 

“Going back to the Falcon? You’re not actually leaving, are you?” Luke was studying him carefully, as though Han might disappear at any second.

Maybe he was right and that had been a disappointed expression on Luke’s face. 

“Yeah, back to the Falcon. Thought I’d....stick around here, see what everyone else is going to do.” He said it as casually as possible, trying to fall back into his usual relaxed demeanour, but he already knew that he didn’t want to leave Luke.

“Good.” Luke sounded satisfied and his face brightened. 

“Get some sleep, you’ve earned it.” Han turned to leave, feeling as though this was the beginning of something. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback/comments/constructive criticism welcome!


End file.
